Enhancing neonatal sepsis detection: A comparative analysis of interleukin-6 and the BacT/ALERT blood culture system

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Original Article

Author Details : Vivek Kumar*, Narendra Saini, Gunjana Kumar

Volume : 11, Issue : 4, Year : 2024

Article Page : 354-357

https://doi.org/10.18231/j.ijmr.2024.059

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Abstract

Background: One of the main causes of newborn mortality is neonatal sepsis, which has to be diagnosed quickly and precisely. Although the Bact/ALERT method for blood culture is commonly used, it is often slow, for early identification of sepsis, interleukin-6 (IL-6) provides a quicker substitute.
Aim and Objective: This study evaluates how well the BacT/ALERT system and IL-6 diagnose newborn sepsis, aiming to determine the most reliable and timely method for improving neonatal outcomes.
Materials and Methods: A clinician at the National Institute of Medical Sciences & Research who admitted neonates to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) suspected 120 newborns of having sepsis. The inclusion criteria were satisfied by newborns between the ages of 0 and 28 days who showed clinical signs of sepsis. Exclusion criteria included infants with congenital anomalies or those who had received antibiotics before sampling.
Results: In this study of 120 neonates, IL-6 levels were elevated in 45% of the cases, with a sensitivity of 100%, specificity 86.84%, PPV 81.48% and NPV 100% for 36.67% of samples had bacterial growth identified by the BacT/ALERT system. In just three hours, IL-6 produced results, which was far quicker than the BacT/ALERT method.
Conclusion: IL-6 is a rapid, sensitive marker for neonatal sepsis, offering faster diagnosis than BacT/ALERT. Combining both methods may improve early detection and treatment outcomes. IL-6 offers rapid, high-sensitivity sepsis detection compared to BacT/ALERT, which, despite being slower, is crucial for pathogen identification. Combining both methods could enhance early diagnosis and treatment.
 

Keywords: Neonatal sepsis, Interleukin-6, BacT/ ALERT, Blood culture.

How to cite : Kumar V, Saini N, Kumar G, Enhancing neonatal sepsis detection: A comparative analysis of interleukin-6 and the BacT/ALERT blood culture system. Indian J Microbiol Res 2024;11(4):354-357

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